Captured
by Alexxis T. Swan
Summary: A oneshot revolving around Mikan who is captured by Reo- who's thought to be dead.
1. First Blood

This is a one shot. I have another scene that could be a sequel to this in my mind. Slight adult theme. Dark content. Read with caution.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Gakuen Alice.

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**Captured**

If it weren't for the undersized closed off window adjacent to the ceiling which permitted a thin stream of light, the darkness would have consumed her long ago. Heck, if wasn't for that air opening she would have run out of oxygen. More importantly, she would have given up hopes of living through this and gave in to_ them_. Something had clicked in her brain after rgeaining consciousness; being quiet wasn't going to get her attention, get that door open, provide a route of escape, or get her out of here. She realized her best bet was to act like a childish girl who doesn't know how to behave as a hostage. She gulped, swallowing her pride and praying she could pull it off.

Where was she? Good question, it was one she wished she could answer. Taking into consideration that her recent memory was fuzzy, her arms were chained the wall, and her long leather coat had been opened, she made some inferences.  
1. She had been drugged.  
2. She was in her own personal dungeon.  
3. The man who held her captive could be perverted or just smart enough to check for weapons.

What she still didn't know was why she couldn't use her Alice. After all I am balanced in boots here.

"Let me outta here right now! Do you have any idea who I am? If you don't get rid of these chains right now I'll -" She started screaming. At that moment, she really missed her long-lost innocence. No wonder Natsume had warned her not to get involved in his life, that it leaves a bitter taste in your mouth. She was thankfully he still did not know about it but it's only a matter of time until he finds out. Nothing stays a secret for a long time in Alice Academy; at least not to those who are part of its darkest secrets already.

She shut her mouth when the door opened, that was fast. A pair of purple eyes narrowed in on her then lost their fierceness. A small smile played on the stranger's lips as he sauntered towards her. She kept her face blank with the help of her training but fear and surprise overtook her on the inside. She became painfully conscious of her mission wear and hoped that it didn't offer any temptation to the man before her. In her current state she couldn't stop him from doing anything. Maybe she'd think less of tank tops after this incident, if she survived it. Her mask was still in place but she was suspicious they might have already looked, surviving wouldn't matter if they knew her identity.

"No…It can't be." She trembled, part of it an act. "How can you be alive? Everyone saw you die. This can't be possible. I must be dreaming." She continued in a tone of denial, her voice a whisper. She was leading him on to give her information of course.

"Oh but it is. You thought I was dead, well think again. You can wish all you want, no one's gonna save you from me. Isn't standing before me hurting you?" His velvety smooth voice replied. Stupid guy, stupid Alice, stupid of her for falling for it. He knew that her knees were about to give in at any second since he said it and that she would scream in pain as the irons around her wrists would be yanked at by her full weight. With the knowledge that she had suffered worse than this, she clamped my eye lids shut and braced herself for the expected pain. She didn't notice as he took a stride and put his arms on her waist (at this point her body had already come into contact with his). He leaned even more forward (as if he wasn't close enough) so his lips tickled her ear as he spoke, "The pain should cease now."

She grunted as the force of gravity let up. "You didn't need to do that performance to show off."

"Yes I did. I had to show you the state you are in. Pathetic, I believe it is called. I could do whatever I wanted to you right now and get away with it." he said running a hand down her side, following the curves of her body.

She felt her heart sink in its place as those words came from the warm lips lightly brushing my ear. Damn it! That wasn't even part of the act. His words had too much power over her. The graveness of her situation became glaringly obvious at that moment.

"If I were you right now I'd be begging the one man who can set you free. Oh, did I forget to mention I'm the big boss now?"

"Only in your dreams would I ever beg you. Congratulations, for being lucky that_ they _lost so much power that _you _were the best they had." She retorted with arrogance and malice. Natsume would have been proud or maybe very angry that she provoked the enemy.

"FYI, I was always one of the best" he said offended. This girl was pushing his leniency. So he decided to show her just how cruel he can be.

From underneath his jacket, he slowly pulled out an antique Elizabethan dagger. It was a beautifully forged sliver flat blade, with a comfy-looking handle, studded with a sapphire, and the edge was sharpened. He raised the dagger and she twisted her head 90 degrees to her left in wait for the pain of the blows to come.

'Uh-oh. I so pissed him off. I took it too far. He's not gonna stop until my blood stains the floor.' She regretted her words. 'Wait a minute! He wanted to make me feel like this from the start. Maybe I should see if doing as he says gets him to lighten up on me.' She looked down at her boots and prepared to beg but she just couldn't. There was a part of her that thought it was petty back down over a matter of pain.

Nevertheless she still felt goosebumps traveled down her spine when she felt the cold metal make contact with her pale skin. She opened her frustrated eyes to find that he had pressed the blade on the side of her face "Well, aren't you a pretty one? It really is a shame that I'll have to scar your pretty little face. Maybe I could let that comment slide for your sake" ,he exploited her fears. His eyes flashing across her face for signs of panic as he spoke unkindly to the chained girl before him. She relaxed a bit as he ran the blade off her face. Quite a mistake, he saw this. Just as the sharp edge was about to get out of striking range, he flicked his wrist.

"Then again, some things can't be helped." After doing so he put his dagger back in his jacket. A thin line ran from the apple of her left cheek till the corner of her lips. In a matter of seconds, the dark red streak started dripping blood which ran down her jaw and left off at her chin, disappearing downward towards the dark floor. She had let out a moan of pain which left his ears ringing in glee at the sting she was enduring. 'Give up! Just admit defeat! You know he's got a lot more up in sleeve.' No matter how much she yelled at herself. Her body didn't respond, her lips didn't form the words. He felt it was time to use his handy Alice.

"Don't try to resist me. You know you can't. Especially now that I have order you not to." he began.

"Stop it!" She managed to hiss as he took away her will. The moment he said that sentence he ensured his own triumph. He didn't even give her a choice to surrender. The only thing she could do now was obey and breakdown before him. He unhooked her from the chains to her surprise. 'This is not good. This means he's gonna make me do something. I feel like I am trapped in my worst nightmare right about now.'

He tested his control over her, "Take off your coat." Her fingers trembled as she reached to take off her only shield from the cold. She crossed her hands across her chest defensively. He sneered at this.

"Bow down to me." He wasn't caring about the limit since she wasn't yielding. In fact to him even under normal circumstances this was _nowhere _near the limit at all. She fell to her knees and her back was forced flat, making her bow so low that his feet were two inches from her face. She didn't know what to do.

"Please...stop...please" She pleaded at last, sounding disgusted with herself.

"What's that? I didn't hear you." he smirked in all his glory. The toe of his boot was lifting her chin up so he could her torn priceless expression.

"Please don't make me do this. I'm begging you." She said reluctantly, an undertone of hatred present but surpressed. Oh how he loved to cause this girl despair.

"Fine, you don't have to do that. Let me think of something that would please me more." Her clenched eyes and gulp of fear made her look so hot that he pulled her up. His hands squeezed her chin none too gently and turned it slightly to the side making her whimper in pain. Her hands moved gracefully through the air and rested softly on his. She tightened her grip telling him to let go. He, being caught off guard, did so. She turned away from him, facing the exit. She could have run but she didn't. She owed him for freeing her from the shackles. She wiped off the forgotten blood with the back of her hand. The blood was beginning to clot. A faint scar would remain afterwards. This caused a dilemma as it would be hard to explain and Natsume...well his eyes missed nothing.

"I'm gonna leave you now." She pointed out with turning to face him.

"No you're not." He said wrapping his arms around her waist. She refused him, taking another step towards the door.

"You're not my boyfriend or anything to do that." She blushed and stated in a rude tone.

"You have one?" He retorted in an mocking way.

She answered monotonously," No."

"Really?" he inquired seeing past her cover-up.

"No and I think I've had enough of your company." She cut him off, worried with where this was going.

"Running into the hallway isn't a great choice. There are guards in every hall way and you don't know how to get out. Your Alice is suppressed right now and won't return for an hour or so. If you pay me a price, I'll escort you out and even provide a ride back to the academy."

"So I'm a messenger, am I? Don't play dumb with me. You were planning on letting me escape from the beginning."

"If I don't want to, I can just kill you now and get someone else who wouldn't figure out they were being used. Lucky for you I find you quite gorgeous."

"I'd rather take my chances than pay you any price because knowing you as little as I do I can surely say, there's no currency involved."

"My men won't go easy on you and without your Alice you don't stand a chance. So pay my fee and you can leave."

She sighed. She hated when he got the better of her. "Tell me the stupid fee and your damn message so I can go home and lie on my bed." she said tiredly not bothering to bargain with 'why should _I_ pay to deliver _your_ message?'.

"What are you sick?" he asked half disappointed that she hadn't put up a fight. "I was gonna ask for a kiss but I don't want one from a sick person." he said with mock disgust. He cut her some slack for not arguing and saving him some effort. He was also getting tired for some reason. Besides he was sure he'd have another chance to play with her maybe in front of her boyfriend. The black cat would be easy prey when he was heartbroken. He wouldn't be getting away this time, neither would Mikan. Yes, he knew who she was all along. Playing dumb would let her believe he didn't. It set up the grounds for future blackmailing scenario. "The message is the AAO are back and so begins the 2nd Alice war. Got it?" She nodded expressionlessly.

An old friend appeared in the doorway. She was unable to mask her surprise this time. She couldn't believe that her childhood friend had dedicated himself to follow the _monster_ who had held her captive. When he left the Academy no one knew why, not even Hotaru or Natsume. "Now let's get you outta here" Her former friend said as he helped her put her coat back on. "So" He broached as they walked through the corridors while guards saluted him every now and then. "How have you been?"

"Not that great seeing as I was captured."

"We totally outnumbered you in an _ambush,_ cut yourself some slack. When did you join the academy's 'defense force'?"

"I was selected a year ago but I join a few weeks ago. I had to get total control over my _vast_ Alice with Persona. Let me tell you, it's not the most fun thing in the world for a 16 year old girl."

"Oh you turned 16? How come I wasn't invited to your sweet sixteen birthday party?" He joked like the way he used to a lot.

"Stop acting like you aren't the enemy. I can't believe you left all of us to take down the Academy. Did you ever think about Natsume?"

"I left for him. To try to save him and even if I couldn't do that to at least make sure they wouldn''t hurt anyone else like they hurt him. On the training though man do I feel bad for you. Anyway here's your ride. It's an old car so you can keep it." he said throwing his ex-best friend the keys.

"Probably have it blast it sky-high or dump it in a lake. You know, safety measures and the fact I'm not gonna keep anything you give me any more than I have to." she said getting into the driver's seat.

"Wait a minute does Natsume know you work for the Academy?" He had guessed it.

"No and he's doesn't have to. He doesn't need another problem in his life." Why couldn't he see that, even though he ignored Natsume to chase after some misguided attempt at righteousness, she still did these things so Natsume wouldn't have to?

"The best thing the academy ever did for him was to not tell him his sister died." His face went emotionless, the look was one you see at a funeral. She was reminded that Aoi would never have a funeral.

"I don't get why anyone told a traitor like you. We trusted you so much and this is what we get for it. That day Reo invaded and put you under his spell, we didn't blame you but now I'm pretty sure you would have helped him of your own will as well."

"Mi-"

"I never want to hear my name come out of your lips, you jerk."

"You really should be grateful that he's being so nice about all this." he said in a low voice standing by her rolled-down window.

"You don't know how he treated me in that room," She said letting her bangs covering her eyes, "I can't believe there's gonna be another war and this time I have to take part one way or the other." The engine of the black Mercedes Benz E350 roared to life. Mikan backed out the underground parking lot and into the road connecting to a highway. The time was 3 o' clock on the digital clock/radio and the roads were scarcely used. She turned off the headlights and literally floored it. Her hair wasn't flying everywhere since the hood was up but the sensation still felt good.

She mused that she really should be grateful for being let off from enemy territory that easy. The academy drew near soon enough. Knowing them though, they probably packed up the temporary set up where she had just been released from. Still there was a chance and she didn't owe them squat now. She left the car outside the gates after briefly instructing the security guard what to do if the car blew up or anything like that. She reached Persona who was looking very displeased.

"What the hell happened?" he demanded, a hint of cold fury in his tone.

Mikan didn't hesitate before she started to tell him everything, rushing through her captivity. A group was immediately disbanded after she informed them of the approximate location of where she was held just in case _they _hadn't left yet. With the help of a memory alice, the location was derived to be a mall in downtown Tokyo. Once she thought about it, she realized what her mini-prison actually was. A broom closet!

"You're lucky you were _let _out of there alive, I doubt you'd ever see the light of day otherwise." Persona said condescendingly.

"I am concerned about the message I was supposed to deliver." She replied ignoring his remark.

"And why is that?" He narrowed his eyes at her. The man never did tolerate fear when it came to missions and such.

"They're not gonna make the same mistake. We are not gonna win that easy. What if we lose?" She could just picture the bloodshed waiting ahead.

"I guess we'll just have to do our best to end this before it can turn into a war. Do you understand?" He was subtly asking her if she was willing to do more missions. Part of her wondered why he even felt the need to put it that way; they both knew she had no choice in the matter. The ESP might not have control over her but she was still stuck in this by her own principles and choices.

"Can I have the day off?" It was pointless question, Mikan could skip whatever she wanted and no teacher really questioned her. Her friends on the other hand were a different matter. She had gotten used to lying to them.

"Whatever, just be ready at 8." He dismissed. It would only be a matter of time before her friends found out about this. Natsume... he would be so angry at her. When she got back to her room she didn't make it to the bed. She hit the couch exhausted (better than the floor right?) and let sleep take over, all her worries with it...

Yet it was not a dreamless, mind you. She would never admit who it was even to herself because she was ashamed such thoughts were conjured up by her subconscious. She was wet when I woke up in the morning. If you know the wet we're talking about, you'll understand why.

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_~Alexxis T. Swan_


	2. The Gates of Hell

**Disclaimer: **Sadly, I don't own Gauken Alice. If I did, the ESP would be dead by now. I do not own the quote used either (belongs to William Williams).

**Warning**: This story has very **dark **themes and is not for people who only read happy endings. Everything is not what it is seems...

**Author's note**: I didn't think I would ever be able to write a continuation to this but somehow it happened. No promises about whether its a three-shot or a real chapter-ed story but I haven't run outta ideas just yet. And Reo will definitely be back soon, just like he is in the MANGA which is at such a interesting twist right now!

_I wrote this chapter with my amazing bestfriend _**Silvermist76**_ who writes awesome stories and she deserves just as much credit as I do (if not more)!_

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_**The descent beckons**_

_**As the ascent beckoned**_

—William Carlos Williams, _The Descent_

**~.~**

It was a hot June night, the halls of Alice Academy were barren; not a soul could be seen save for a slinking shadow. A feminine figure was illuminated by the meager light of the street lamps, for the sky was dark this new moon night. She made her way circumspectly through the academy, constantly glancing over her shoulder. Her heightened senses told her that she was being followed but her eyes said otherwise.

Anxious to reach her destination she quickened her pace clutching the silver key in her right hand tightly. As she reached the narrow staircase, she halted abruptly. The petite brunette was positive she heard the faint whisper of cloth behind her. Sick of letting her paranoia get the better of her, she made a mad dash up the stairs not stopping till she nearly slammed into a door. Catching her breath, she fumbled with the key a little before shoving her way into the room. She slammed the door behind her letting out a sigh of relief as she secured both the locks. Mikan flopped down on the bed, prepared to stay there for the whole night.

Oh how she hated June. It was far too humid for her liking. Ugh, who was she fooling? If only that was it. As the temperatures had risen, so had the tensions between the ESP and Shiki, to the extent that AAO was the least of their worries. The Dangerous Ability class had regained its active status with compunction. It was an unspoken obligation amongst her friends to fight this impending threat but Mikan never understood why they had to jump into the heart of the battle. It was just last week when Youichi got nicked by a bullet on his right shoulder. Even though he was the one injured, he suffered the least. He wrote it down as just a mere scratch for a just cause.

This so called 'just' cause was the very thing tearing all of them apart. Tsubasa and Misaki couldn't even tell each other about the truth anymore. All the lies and secrets were eating away at their love. They both risked their lives on a weekly basis but couldn't say it out loud, not wanting to dismay the other.

Natsume had gone missing two days ago but no one seemed worried. Not that his friends didn't care but they were used to his unannounced disappearances and his nonchalant demeanor when he returned. Mikan was the one who stayed up in his room those nights, waiting for him to return so she could nurse him back to health. She was the one who saw him at his weakest and she knew that the 'I don't give a damn about my life' was just a front he put for the rest of the world. He had once told her that he didn't want to die anymore, he wanted to live his life with her by his side. It made her heart clench when she thought about his condition.

If things were this bad now, she wondered how much worse it would get when the ESP finally retaliated with deadly force. Perhaps it was better not to ponder about all these things but she couldn't help it. Every night when Mikan went to sleep she'd be grateful that she had survived through one more day and when she wakes up, she acknowledges that today might be her last.

She heard a great sob coming from the next room, which was a great testament by itself as the walls of special star rooms were nearly sound-proof.

She'd bet anything it was her friend, Sumire Shouda who had every reason to spend her nights weeping, whether it was about her nightmares or her agonizing memories.

What had happened to her a month ago was almost too astonishing for Mikan to believe. Life before the "incident" seemed like a whole other life.

**Alice Academy, 1 month ago**

_It took them all by surprise, the ambush from the AAO during the Christmas party. Everyone was caught off guard, save for Natsume and Hotaru. Natsume was always on high alert, he knew the most unexpected things could happen should he let his guard down. He had fought far too many battles to not be aware of that. Hotaru on the other hand just seemed to have the right gadgets for each situation, although how she managed to do so was still a mystery._

_In the midst of the chaos, people were running left and right trying to avoid the onslaught of alices. Unprepared as they were, Mikan and her friends still put up a good front. Their chief objective was clearly to kidnap the multi-alice brunette but when things didn't go as planned, the AAO agents reassessed their priorities and decided to fall back to cut their losses. What better way than to take a hostage...or two?_

_A gun to Sumire's head and a knife to Yuu's neck changed the rules of play. It created a chasm between the two sides as the strike team retreated. Usually hostages are left behind after the enemy has used them to cross the gates but this time the head of the operation, Ishimori who still remembered the time he had been captured and drugged by the Academy, decided to keep them._

_It was a hard hit, to say the very least. The first week was pure agony- not knowing where they were or what was happening to them. According to Natsume, who knew from experience, they were probably better off dead. Mikan couldn't stop crying for hours after hearing his blunt statement._

_The second week was when they had lost all hope. Even Koko the epitome of positive thinking and best at making light of any scenario was dragged into a deep depression. No one said it out loud but they didn't need to. It was a silent agreement that Yuu and Sumire were almost certainly gone for good._

_The third week was a mourning period and it felt like the emptiness would never go away. By the fourth week, the Academy was considering whether to set up tombstones for the two of them._

**Alice Academy, 4 days ago**

_The fact that they happened to be walking by the gates when she returned was a startling coincidence. Sumire leapt over the barrier as if it wasn't there. Everyone was frozen in shock and disbelief, as they saw guards surround her. Her face was pale and thin, though her muscles had clearly developed. She was expressionless as the elite defense personnel shrouded her from sight. It was the last they saw of her that day, because despite their insistent demands, the Academy policy came first._

_She was debriefed the next day and walked right into Narumi's English class._

_The official line was that Sumire Shouda, a victim of kidnapping and torture, managed to infiltrate the ranks of the AAO, collect vital information and return back to the grounds of the Academy all on her own. This unprecedented achievement was rewarded highly; she received an award for special services and was given the rank of a special star._

_The whole truth was far more brutal and biting. In order to prove herself loyal, she had to kill her friend Yuu Tobita as an initiation. The Academy called it collateral damage that couldn't have been avoided but they knew the real price was paid by Sumire. There's nothing like murder that rips away the shreds of humanity one has left at that point. On top of that, it was someone she knew and cared for._

_The strength that Sumire had to do what she did was truly admirable, however no one wanted to be in her shoes right then. She told them every last detail, not holding anything back._

The story had been hard to hear. Mikan lost track of who had fainted, vomited, or nearly had a breakdown just listening to each and every gory minutiae.

Natsume had been pissed; it was quite an understatement. His hands were balled up into fists and his face was red with barely contained anger. "That sick son of a bitch, I bet he enjoyed this." He muttered under his breath through clenched teeth. When Mikan asked him where he was going, he replied that he was going to fix this. Neither had he come back nor did Sumire's condition improve.

Eat, sleep and cry; it was pretty much all Sumire did. It was like something inside her had been broken. They say that time heals all wounds but Mikan wasn't too sure about that.

Her eyes flickered towards the analog clock on the opposite wall which indicated that the time was 3:17 am. They started drooping and she was about to fall asleep when she heard the balcony door open. She jumped off the bed with renewed energy, fixed her skirt and half ran towards the balcony.

There he was; leaning against the railing with his hands shoved deeply in his pockets, looking her up and down. Ignoring the ever-present smirk, her gaze became fixed on his eyes. They were darker than usual and had a gleam of something indiscernible in them. Mikan ignored this in her haste to make he was alright. That was the first of many thing things that she should have noticed that night.

"Waiting up for me?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

She nodded absently, her eyes still sweeping his body for any sign of injuries. The burn mark on his collar bone caught her attention.

"Are you checking me out?" He mocked.

Mikan rolled her eyes and stepped close to him to inspect the scorched skin. She was standing so close that their lips were just a few centimeters apart. Strangely though she didn't feel the urge to kiss him. Instead of feeling the warmth in her stomach which she usually felt when she was near him, she felt chills creeping up her spine.

"What's wrong Natsume?" She whispered softly, her eyes pleading him for an answer.

"Nothing's wrong Mikan," He replied leaning forward to crush her lips with his. Within a second, her arms were wrapped around his neck and he had a firm grip on her waist. As he deepened the kiss with his tongue she could taste a hint of copper; it reminded her of blood.

While he ravished her mouth possessively, his fingers dug into her skin and Mikan bit back a moan of pain. She wasn't used to this kind of roughness, Natsume was usually gentle with her, treating her like a delicate doll. By the time he let up her lungs were aching from lack air of air.

Then she reached an epiphany that scared her to death. Her body started trembling all on its own and a creeping sense of dread washed over her. Afraid to hear the answer yet unable to stand not knowing, she asked shakily, "Who the hell are you?"

Clenching his shirt in her fists, cold fury running through her veins, she demanded, "What have you done to him?"

He repeated her name chidingly three times, running a finger down the side of her face. "Oh Mikan, Mikan, Mikan. All in good time, my dear."

She recognized that odd incandescence she couldn't quite put her finger on previously for what it truly was; _bloodlust_.

**To Be Continued...**

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Please let me know what you think! Should I keep it as Reo x Mikan pairing and write it that way or would you prefer if it was Mikan x Natsume or Mikan x ESP?

~Alexxis T. Swan


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